An integrated approach to the study of pollution transport and waves in the coastal zone - Part III: The integrated program and satellite requirements

Abstract

Among the Applications Activities (the application of NASA technological expertise to civil sector problem) at the Langley Research Center are the study of pollution transport in the Coastal Zone and coastal wave conditions. Beginning with the premise that remote sensing is an important tool for the study of The Coastal Zone (the applicability of remote sensing via satellite to Coastal Zone studies has been demonstrated by the ERTS program), this paper in three parts discusses the integration of remote sensing and in situ data in Part I and analytical techniques in Part II into a program in Part III aimed at developing the capability to monitor and predict pollution transport in the Coastal Zone and predict damaging coastal wave conditions. Based on the remote sensing capabilities discussed in Part I, satellite requirements are defined in terms of orbital conditions needed to insure the required frequency of coverage. Ground truth programs using buoys as the data gatherer are discussed in terms of their utility for both remote sensor calibration and basic circulation studies used in verification of analytical models of pollution transport. The analytical models discussed in Part II are discussed here in terms of the relationship between the model and the remote sensing and in situ data required for initializing the model.